Program Guide 11-20-2017

Almanac

November 20

1518 death of Pierre de la Rue – Renaissance composer and singer (age c. 66); called ‘Piersson’; ranks with Agricola, Brumel, Isaac and Obrecht as one of the most famous and influential composers in the Netherlands polyphonic style in the decades around 1500.

1805 premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's opera Fidelio; original, three-act version of the often-revised work (with the Leonore Overture No. 2) at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna which was under French military occupation at the time, so most of the audience members were officers in the French army.

1873 Daniel Gregory Mason – American composer and music critic (d.1953); sought to increase respect for American music, sometimes incorporating indigenous and popular themes.

1889 first performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 by the Budapest Philharmonic, with the composer conducting; work was not well received and Mahler made major revisions for the second performance in Hamburg in 1893; more alterations followed; sometimes called ‘Titan’, despite the fact that Mahler only used this label for two early performances, and never after the work had reached its definitive four-movement form in 1896.

1942 Meredith Monk – American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer (75 years old); best known for her vocal innovations, first developed in her solo performances prior to forming her own ensemble.

1948 Barbara Hendricks – American soprano (69 years old); has lived in Europe since 1977 and is a citizen of Sweden; dedicated to the plight of refugees and a long-time supporter of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.